More services are to be added to a new route from Birmingham Airport to India less than a fortnight after it was set up.

Comtel Air began flights to Amritsar from Birmingham on October 1 and planned to operate two weekly services each Saturday and Sunday.

However, the airline says it has had such an overwhelming response from the region’s Indian community it will be increasing the flights from Birmingham in nearby future, and will be taking an aircraft from another European base to accommodate the Midlands’ demand.

Thomas Kopetzky, director of ground operations for Comtel Air, said, “We knew there was demand for more flights to India from Birmingham due to the large Asian community living in the Midlands and we thought that we’d eventually have to put on more flights but we never imagined we’d have to make this decision so soon after launching the first service. It just goes to show that people want to use their local airport to visit their friends and relatives out in India.”

Since launching the first Birmingham flight, Comtel Air has carried 744 passengers on its four flights between to Amritsar.

The flights, which are made on Boeing 757-200 aircraft, have a short stop in Vienna before flying onward to Amritsar in the Punjab.